Send old people to war instead of young people
Posted by nicodea2@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 94 comments
Change the Geneva Conventions and have all countries agree that the minimum age for a soldier shall be 50.
They’ve lived a long life, and they’ve voted all their lives for the direction their country’s going in. They have little to lose and frankly we’d rather keep the young folks alive and productive.
I suspect a policy like this would help prevent a lot of wars.
Visible_Structure483@reddit
send the politicians kids first. if the war is really the only option then so be it.
Far-Fill-4717@reddit
no send the politicians themselves.
SmartestManInUnivars@reddit
It is absolutely insane how common war is. But almost every single person who is involved in escalating and making the decision to go to war... is almost completely isolated from 90% of the effects, and all of the worst effects. That blows my mind that two groups of people in conflict with each other, over land or whatever, can send hundreds of thousands of their fellow man to fight & die at their behest with little consequence to their own personal life. And the group just is forced to go, and will in fact do that before collectivizing. Insanity.
Visible_Structure483@reddit
those making the decisions aren't only insulated from the consequences, in most cases they actually benefit from the action. war profiteering is a real thing.
saibot_Ra@reddit
Politicians and the 1%.
Right now wars are the games of the rich played with pawns, have vs have not.
Send the Haves to fight the Haves.
unmelted_ice@reddit
Bro, some of the politicians can’t even be bothered to attend their kid’s wedding lol
tobygeneral@reddit
So they won't miss them if they go to war?
unmelted_ice@reddit
Cheaper if they die in war tbh
Haha_LMAO69@reddit
Aren't soldiers supposed to be able-bodied?
nicodea2@reddit (OP)
If they’re all above 50, they’re on an equal playing field.
Hopeful_Ad_7719@reddit
This would be interesting for countries where the average lifespan is below 50. Recruitment could be tricky.
zoppaTheDim@reddit
Average
This often just means a horrible infant death rate, like Texas.
Questo417@reddit
Ah yes, the country of Texas. Go back to school.
zoppaTheDim@reddit
They claim to be a country, they also have a higher than average infant mortality and maternal mortality rate.
_kamorra@reddit
Which country would that be?
Orange_Kid@reddit
Ah works perfectly, so long as every country follows international law during war, which surely won't be an issue.
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redlinedidit@reddit
Then the countries don’t play by this rule win.
myusernameblabla@reddit
US military immediately drops to rank 120.
SpecialFlutters@reddit
then it’d just become a tactical advantage to exploit eventually
Warlordnipple@reddit
It would incentivise countries to keep their population healthy and mobile into older age.
Fragraham@reddit
Aren't politicians supposed to be able-minded?
sneezhousing@reddit
Able minded and able bodied are two different things.
You can be sharp , good memory and even critical thinking and not be able to lift heavy items, walk long distance, require daily meds
redlinedidit@reddit
Supposed to be but not a requirement. Same can be said for voters.
ChronaMewX@reddit
Put em in mech suits. I heard a doctor who audio with this premise once
bladow5990@reddit
I'm sure Raytheon already has plans for a combat mobility scooter.
solidrat30329312@reddit
Why aren’t politicians also warriors and generals anymore?
anomalous_cowherd@reddit
I'm curious how old you are? My country is certainly nowhere near where it would have been if they had just listened to what I would have preferred all my life.
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abccba140@reddit
An interesting opinion
ConcentrateExciting1@reddit
Reposting since country mention resulted in auto-remove.
Sorry, but it's not crazy. It's basically what a county, that rymes with U rain, did by setting their draft age range from 25 to 60.
RobleViejo@reddit
Burgerland will fight R to the last U. Also check the waiting list for buying superyachts. This comment is a quote from "its always sunny", dont take it too seriously.
nicodea2@reddit (OP)
That’s… completely different to what I’m proposing. 50+ minimum age to be a soldier, baked into international law. Will countries agree to it? Doubt it, which is why it’s a crazy idea.
Drafting 25-60 is pretty much drafting everyone. I want to see 65 year olds trading punches and breaking hips. (To be clear I’m anti-war, but this is just a surefire way to prevent wars).
sneezhousing@reddit
It's not just will increase countries like US using long distant drones and bombers instead of boots on the ground. 60 year old can sit in a facility in NEVADA and direct drones at targets for 8 hrs a day no problem. US has already drastically cut the boots on the ground combat and uses lots of long range warfare. Been doing that since mid 2000's
goldenphantom@reddit
We already see today that certain countries don't respect international law and do whatever they want. This would cripple the armies of countries who do fair play and uphold the law, and give a huge advantage to countries who don't give a damn about international law.
Once their 20 years old soldiers attack your 50+ years old soldiers, your army will be toast. Then they'll kill or subjugate all your 20 years old civilians, whom you didn't want to join the army.
Platomik@reddit
Excuse me? Why are you having your post removed for mentioning a country??
PlayPretend-8675309@reddit
If you want to send some greybeards up against my 22 year olds, I'll take that war. I'll just attack during your daily metamucil break and your men can either shit themselves running away or die with dignity.
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Jolly-Rip5973@reddit
Great idea if you want to genocide old people and lose the war because other side has abled body fit young men.
drkuz@reddit
I agree that ppl who dont suffer the consequences of their decisions shouldn't make the decision for others to suffer those consequences. Everyone should have skin in the game or not be allowed to play.
Bad_Black_Jorge@reddit
Robert Graves mentioned this in Goodbye to All That, his memoir of World War I.
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MLMSE@reddit
Old people already have money and a house and a pension to look forward to. No incentive for them to join the army.
Young people have nothing. The young people that join the army often believe that is their only route to money. The Army relies on desperation.
LurkingWeirdo88@reddit
They already do due to demographics trends.
JamesantheGiantBeach@reddit
Joined the military young. Went to combat. Recently retired. With my luck, I could see it happen.
Would support it 100% but maybe ask to skip boot camp again!
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zoppaTheDim@reddit
Gonna bug me all day who wrote this sci-fi story.
I keep trying to search it and just keep getting Old Man’s War by Scalzi.
So yes, the Simpsons did this, if not the actual Simpsons, but some golden age sci-fi author.
TheMightyMisanthrope@reddit
That's not on the Geneva convention.
JackUltraRuby@reddit
Send the politicians and their kids and grandchildren first
Hollocene13@reddit
Make them stand in the front.
Dull_Complaint1407@reddit
Because the country that breaks this treaty first will slaughter the side that doesn’t
velvetsugarwhirl@reddit
This would end wars fast because world leaders would immediately realize they also qualify.
LostVanya@reddit
No it wouldn't. They are the leaders, no can force them to do anything. They would make themselves exempt.
CMDRumbrellacorp@reddit
Only the young are foolish enough to participate in that madness. Older people are too wise to go off and die for someone else's delusions of grandeur. We've see the results of that particular form of enslavement too many times.
PurposefulGrimace@reddit
In the current generational mix, it might increase the percentage of recruits who could pass a physical.
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Melohdy@reddit
At least we'd get the job done.
Hopeful_Ad_7719@reddit
Been dun b4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man%27s_War
TwoWarm700@reddit
Great idea, start with politicians 😎
I’m sure it’ll put a quick end to hostilities in search of diplomatic solutions 👏👏👏
goldenphantom@reddit
There are countries who apparently love to wage wars and Geneva Convention is equal to a piece of toilet paper to them. They'll send their young, strong, healthy soldiers to war against your old, weak, and sickly ones. You can protest all you like that they didn't uphold the Geneva Convention but it'll be too late because your country will be already overrun by them.
redlinedidit@reddit
Perhaps a better agreement is politicians who decided to go war must have direct family members on the frontlines of the same war.
VivaLaDiga@reddit
Yes I am sure they will be very effective in battle.
mike8111@reddit
What do you think war is?
There are "policies" preventing bombing hospitals and civilians during war, yet here we are with both being attacked.
Nobody fights a war to lose it.
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yeetzapizza123@reddit
Warmongers would just change propaganda to be all "fr fr no cap the Russians aren't skibidi 67" and we get brain rotted 18 year olds sending Gramps off to die because he wouldn't buy him a Switch
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kikogamerJ2@reddit
already happening in the ukrainian-russian war.
Mag-NL@reddit
O
Unhappy-Homework-812@reddit
Many of them already did military service
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Dry-Poem6778@reddit
I love this idea. Make it mandatory service for everyone 50-65 years old, and voluntary thereafter.
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